Premier Danielle Smith addressed explosive allegations of conflict of interest and pressured private contracts at Alberta Health Services (AHS). Smith denies any wrongdoing and calls for expedited investigations while facing criticism from the NDP and calls for a more independent review.
Premier Smith speaking out for the first time since explosive allegations surfaced about Alberta Health Services and conflict of interest concerns. One political scientist questions whether the governing UCP will recover from this controversy. Kabi Moulitharan reports.
The letter alleges that Alberta Health Services was pressured to approve private contracts and that the former AHS CEO was fired two days before a meeting with the auditor general to discuss findings around private surgery facilities and procurement contracts. “We need to get to the bottom of this issue quickly to identify any potential wrongdoing, correct it, and address it appropriately,” Smith said. “I have also asked that AHS’s internal review be completed as quickly as possible and delivered directly to me so we can study the results and make improvements or adjustments to these processes.”Smith added, “As Premier, I was not involved in any wrongdoing. Any insinuation to the contrary is false, baseless and defamatory.
“This is simply not good enough. Her own office is implicated. The investigation can’t be handed over to the people being investigated. How dumb does she think Albertans are?”“There have been very serious allegations raised that touch on things most important to Albertans — affordability and health care,” Williams said.
ALBERTA POLITICS HEALTHCARE CONFLICT OF INTEREST INVESTIGATION
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